About this project

$3,445

pledged of $2,000 goal

75

backers

NEW ORIGINAL ART REWARD: Series Artist Rando Dixon's original pencils and inks (on 11" x 17" paper) for The Absentee 1 available NOW at the $65 reward tier! This WILL go fast - if you want it, jump on it!

Original Pencils & Inks for Page 1 of The Absentee 1 (11" x 17") Available NOW at the $65 Reward Tier!

Initial Funding Goal ACHIEVED, So We Now Go After STRETCH REWARDS (for ALL non-PDF Backers):

The Absentee is a science-fiction horror story, the tale of a test pilot returned from an interdimensional quest for perpetual energy sources to find himself possessed by an immaterial demon. He learns to occupy the demonic form with his own consciousness and use its preternatural abilities, but, while he is away, the demon's mind controls his body...and uses it to wreak havoc in all aspects of his life.

The Standard Cover to The Absentee 1!

THE PROJECT

The Absentee 1 is a 20-page, full-color comic, the first of a 6-issue limited series written by Kevin LaPorte (Clown Town, Roadkill du Jour, Last Ride for Horsemen), with line art by Randolph Dixon and colors by Kate Frizzell. We anticipate individual issues being completely produced and released within a few months of each other.

The "Golden Age Parody" Kickstarter-Exclusive Cover to The Absentee 1!

All funds raised by this Kickstarter campaign will go toward printing and distributing The Absentee 1, as well as production and fulfillment of Kickstarter rewards for YOU, our appreciated backers! Any funds remaining beyond that will add to the compensation for our artists, who, while paid an initial page rate, are certainly deserving of more, given the many hours of painstaking and devoted work they put into this project (we think you'll agree once you see the preview art below!).

THE PREVIEW

Preview of Page 1 of The Absentee 1!

Preview of Page 2 of The Absentee 1!

Preview of Page 3 of The Absentee 1!

Preview of Page 4 of The Absentee 1!

THE LOYALTY REWARD

EVERY Backer of THIS campaign (non-PDF tiers) who previously backed ANY of our previous Kickstarter campaigns will also receive a UNIQUE SKETCH Trading Card for THE ABSENTEE, with actual pencil art by The Absentee artists, Randolph Dixon or Kate Frizzell!

FREE The Absentee Sketch Card by Series Artists for ALL Backers Who Previously Backed an Inverse Press Kickstarter Campaign!

THE WRITER

Kevin LaPorte is the Fairhope, Alabama-based writer and co-creator of genre comics with a horror bent - Last Ride for Horsemen, Roadkill du Jour, Clown Town & The Blind Eye! The worlds Kevin creates range from dark carnivals overrun by killer clowns violently avenging abused children (Clown Town) to dying frontier towns in the Old West beset by Steampunk versions of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Last Ride for Horsemen) to the bayou territory of a lone motorcycle gangster seeking vengeance for his cursed appetite for street meat and the slaughter of his brothers-in-arms (Roadkill du Jour)!

THE ARTIST

After years of graphic design, murals and cinematic storyboarding, Rando Dixon is slamming into the sequential arts world with The Absentee!

THE COLORIST

A fresh face in the comic business, Kate Frizzell has been attending conventions for just under a year. In that time she has successfully finished colors for the first issues of both The Absentee by Inverse Press and The Kill Joy Club by Icarus Wing Productions, and a handful of smaller projects for companies like Bronco Ink and Pro Se Productions.

THE KICKSTARTER PEDIGREE

Kevin has led TWELVE previous, successful Kickstarter campaigns, including that for Roadkill du Jour 1-2; one each for his steampunk Western tale of the Apocalypse, Last Ride for Horsemen, and the inspirational tale of hurricane survival, Eyes of the Hurricane; four for his serialized horror graphic novel, Clown Town; as well as another for Ancients & Warriors: The Sketch Art of Gavin Michelli, and he organized the campaigns for Erica Heflin and Amanda Rachels' Flesh of White 1-2! We are experienced and reliable creators and purveyors of comics via Kickstarter. You will get what you pledge for and get it quickly!

THE REWARDS

Full details on each reward tier are outlined to the right, of course! We're offering The Absentee 1 in multiple versions, including a Digital (PDF) version and print versions featuring the Standard Cover, a Kickstarter-Exclusive “GOLDEN AGE PARODY” Cover, and a HUGE Treasury-Sized (9.25” x 14”) Edition!

As a special, LIMITED opportunity, Rando will also offer unique, CUSTOMIZED sketch covers featuring the demon of our story bursting from the chest of a body featuring YOUR HEAD! Yep, he'll put YOUR FACE in pencil and ink on the body of the cover, to make YOU the dreaded demon's newest victim!

Series Artist Rando Dixon Draws YOUR HEAD on the Customized Sketch Cover - Available at the $35 Reward Tier!

Extras we've devised EXCLUSIVELY for this campaign include a set of Trading Cards featuring main characters and An 11" x 17" print by series artist Rando Dixon featuring Harper, a major character to appear in The Absentee 2!

The Absentee Trading Card - Available Along with the Comic at Multiple Reward Tiers, Beginning at JUST $10!

The Upyrdraug Trading Card - Available Along with the Subscription and Completist Rewards, Beginning at the $45 Level!

The Harper 11" x 17" Print by Rando Dixon - Available Along with the Comic at the $18 Reward Tier!

We are also offering a very unique set of rewards to backers of The Absentee 1 - the opportunity to be written/drawn into the NEXT issue! There are several different levels, from single-panel, non-speaking crowd appearances to a villainous role with critical story implications! Each role includes the character being drawn to your facial likeness AND having your name included in a Cast Credits list printed in the book! See each individual Reward Tier for details and pick how YOU want to be a part of The Absentee! Naturally, these roles are EXTREMELY LIMITED, so reserve yours NOW!

The Absentee artists, Rando Dixon and Kate Frizzell, are each offering up a LIMITED number of 9” x 12” single-figure, limited color sketch commissions of any character of your choice as rewards, so act fast!

Risks and challenges

There are few to NO risks in the completion and fulfillment of this project. As the Kickstarter campaign launches, ALL pages are completed in terms of art. We are committed to having ALL production work completed by the time the Kickstarter campaign ends, so that only printing and fulfillment must be accomplished after funding is achieved.

Printer delays are obviously beyond our control, but we are working with a high-end, reliable company that we are confident will deliver within the prescribed timeframe for fulfillment.

Our first obligation is to you, the BACKER. Given your support and trust in us, we aim to have the creative aspect of the project COMPLETE before there is even funding in hand, to ensure you get what you paid for at the highest possible level and within the shortest possible timeframe!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

THE STANDARD COVER COMIC: A Signed Standard Cover Edition of The Absentee 1 + a Kickstarter-Exclusive Trading Card featuring The Absentee, himself, by series colorist Kate Frizzell (see left for an image of the card art)!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $12 or more
About $12

THE KICKSTARTER-EXCLUSIVE "GOLDEN AGE PARODY" COVER COMIC: A Signed/Numbered Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody" Cover Edition of The Absenteee 1 + a Kickstarter-Exclusive Trading Card featuring The Absentee, himself, by series colorist Kate Frizzell (see left for an image of the card art)!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $18 or more
About $18

THE 11" X 17" HARPER PRINT: An 11" x 17" print by series artist Rando Dixon, featuring Harper, a major character to appear in The Absentee 2 (see left for an image of the print) + a Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody" cover edition of The Absentee 1!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

THE TREASURY EDITION: A MASSIVE (9.25” x 14”), Signed/Numbered Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody" Cover Edition of The Absentee 1 + a Kickstarter-Exclusive Trading Card featuring The Absentee, himself, by series colorist Kate Frizzell (see left for an image of the card art)!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

THE RETAILER: Have the book in-store before ANY OTHER, with 5 Standard Cover Editions + 5 Kickstarter-Exclusive Cover Editions of The Absentee 1, PLUS 2 Sets of Trading Cards! This tier available ONLY to RETAILERS (we WILL check)!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

THE CHEST-BURSTING SKETCH COVER: Custom Cover Edition of The Absentee 1 (see image to the left), featuring a black-&-white sketch by series artist Rando Dixon of YOUR HEAD on a body with The Absentee demon bursting from YOUR chest!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

THE SCENE EXTRA ROLE: Get drawn into the NEXT issue, The Absentee 2! Your likeness will appear in one panel of the book, YOUR face clearly visible (no speaking lines)! Your name will also be included in a Cast Credits list in the book! Includes a Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody' Cover Edition of The Absentee 1!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $45 or more
About $45

THE SUBSCRIPTION: Issues 1-6 of The Absentee in Signed/Numbered, Kickstarter-Exclusive Cover Editions, shipped to you as they are released! Includes EACH Kickstarter-Exclusive Trading Card PLUS another Trading Card ONLY available to Subscription Tier Backers, this one featuring the massive father of The Absentee demon (see left for an image of the card art).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

THE SPEAKING ROLE: Get drawn into the NEXT issue, The Absentee 2! Your likeness will appear in at least one panel and will have at least one speaking line! Your name will also be included in a Cast Credits list in the book! Includes a Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody' Cover Edition of The Absentee 1!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

THE COMMISSION - RANDO DIXON: A 9” x 12” Single-Figure, Pencil-&-Ink, Limited Color Sketch Commission of a single character of YOUR choice by The Absentee Artist Rando Dixon + a Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody" Cover Edition of The Absentee 1!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

THE COMMISSION - KATE FRIZZELL: A 9” x 12” Single-Figure, Pencil-&-Ink, Limited Color Sketch Commission of a single character of YOUR choice by The Absentee Colorist Kate Frizzell + a Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody" Cover Edition of The Absentee 1!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

THE TREASURY-SIZED SUBSCRIPTION: Issues 1-6 of The Absentee in Signed/Numbered, MASSIVE Treasury-Sized (9.5" x 14") Kickstarter-Exclusive Cover Editions, shipped to you as they are released! Includes EACH Kickstarter-Exclusive Trading Card PLUS another Trading Card ONLY available to Subscription Tier Backers, this one featuring the massive father of The Absentee demon (see left for an image of the card art).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

THE ISSUE TWO VILLAIN ROLE: Have YOUR FACE & BODY drawn as the major villain in Issue 2 of The Absentee! This will be a ONE-ISSUE role and WILL use YOUR NAME! Your name will also be included in a Cast Credits list in the book! Includes a Kickstarter-Exclusive "Golden Age Parody" Cover Edition of The Absentee 1!